


Losing Sleep

by DoctNeptune95



Category: Splatoon
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Cousin Incest, Dreams, F/F, Hallucinations, Incest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-02-25
Packaged: 2019-10-14 12:28:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,829
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17508641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoctNeptune95/pseuds/DoctNeptune95
Summary: Things go from bad to worse when Marie's cousin Callie moves in due to circumstance. They may be best friends, but the distance allowed Marie to hide her crush. Now that Callie shares a room with her, she finds it difficult to keep her calm let alone sleep at night. The lack of sleep leads her to dream about a version of Callie that's even more dramatic than usual. The worst part about it is Dream-Callie likes her back while the real thing is oblivious. ...Scratch that, the worst part about it is Marie's so exhausted, she has a hard time telling the two apart.A multi-chapter fic in which Marie's hallucinations/dreams get progressively worse until things come crashing down.Rating may go up.





	1. The Move

Marie had always been the smarter, more studious cousin, but lately she found herself lacking the ability to pay attention in class. She was tired. More tired than usual, really. Due to unfortunate circumstances, her cousin Callie and her mother moved in. Considering their house wasn’t really built for five inklings, it was decided that Callie would share Marie’s room while her mother would take the guest room. They all agreed it would be the best solution, but internally Marie knew it was a death sentence.

  
  


On her thirteenth birthday Marie realized she had “other” feelings for Callie. Deeper feelings. The kind of feelings you definitely weren’t supposed to have when you were thinking about your cousin. At first she boiled it down to confused hormones. This excuse allowed her to put away the butterflies that lit up in her stomach or the blush that creeped onto her face when Callie smiled at her, but as the years went by she realized they were all too real. 

  
  


Despite the fact that the two were best friends, they lived cities apart. Taking the train took at least an hour or two and most days they just texted on their shellphones. The only times she would actually see Callie in person were holidays and rare weekdays when her mother was feeling especially irresponsible, opting to have Marie’s parents babysit her. This never happened more than once a month, so she could tolerate it.

  
  


Not having Callie around daily helped her hide her feelings, but the weeks that lead up the the move left Marie was an anxious wreck. No amount of mental preparation could have saved her from the overjoyed look Callie wore as she brought her bags into Marie’s small room. She almost lost her composure when Callie hugged her, genuinely thanked her for sharing the space. She must have mumbled something like “it’s nothing,” because Callie seemed oblivious to the fact that she was practically melting on the spot. 

  
  


The first couple of days weren’t any better. Callie was a decent roommate, sure. She actually cleaned after herself and usually tried not to touch Marie’s belongings, but it was the little things that got to her. The way she insisted on striking up conversations any time they were in the room together, always wanting to know more and more about her favourite cousin. The way that she snored ever so lightly as she slept, stirring up some sense of protectiveness in Marie. Even the way that she snuck glances at Marie when she thought her cousin wasn’t paying attention was definitely getting to her! 

  
  


Marie went from a normal high school student to someone always on edge. Someone who always thought twice about her actions. She was so worried that if she spoke too much or let her guard down, Callie would figure her out. She knew she had it bad, but trying her best to cover that up and act normal left her drained. There were no phone screens to cover up her face, no disconnection of her tone from her words.

  
  


The worst part about it all was that Callie talked in her sleep.

  
  


Any normal person could have slept through it, but Marie was already hypersensitive to Callie’s presence. Any time she mumbled in her sleep, Marie’s eyes flew open and she subconsciously strained her ears to listen. No matter how many times she tried to force herself to ignore her cousin’s presence, the mumbling would bring her attention back every time.

  
  


She considered ear plugs, but some irrational part of her told her that if she wore them she’d miss something important. What exactly was she hoping for, or what exactly was she afraid of? 

  
  


None of these burning questions had any answers, so Marie was forced to suffer. She would just have to catch naps on her lunch break and go home like nothing was wrong, like she did every night.


	2. Heading Home

The minute the last bell rang Marie was out of the classroom. Lingering around and speaking to her few friends felt like a chore right now. She was barely functional during class, she really didn’t want to put more social interaction her plate. 

  
  


She walked to the bus loop on campus and leaned against a wall. Callie would be here any time now and the two of them would be on their way home. As she waited, Marie wondered if she could get away with taking a nap on the couch. Their family had owned the same couch since she was a toddler, and while that meant it was falling apart in some places, it also meant she found some nostalgic comfort in bundling up and taking a nap on it. Every creak and groan it made when she laid on it just felt like childhood.

  
  


Her mind drifted away, imagining a soft fleece blanket and hot cocoa. She imagined the cocoa was made with the works, mini-marshmallows and a thick topping of whipped cream. She imagined her mother brought to her before the household turned in for the night. The house would be silent as Marie sipped her cocoa, enjoying only the ambient noises running through the house at that hour. This was a world with no feelings except comfort. 

  
  


Her head leaned against the cool concrete and it felt like a cloud in her sleep-deprived state. Before she knew it she was starting to fall asleep standing up. Thankfully Callie arrived moments before she fell face-first into unforgiving cement. 

  
  


“Hey Marie! Are you ready to-- wait, are you falling asleep?” Callie’s enthusiasm quickly turned to worry and she gawked at her older cousin.

  
  


Marie jumped and nearly fell forward, but caught herself and straightened her back into her usual graceful posture. “No… forgive me… I was…” She tried to think of an excuse, but Callie had already moved on from the subject. 

  
  


“Look! That’s our bus!” Callie pointed obnoxiously to the yellow school bus heading for their stop. It looked identical to every other school bus, but there was a number painted on the side of the bus to tell them apart.  

  
  


“Right… that’s it.” Marie nodded and followed Callie as she moved closer to the edge of the sidewalk, awaiting the arrival of school bus number twenty-seven. 

  
  


“D’you think we’ll get those big seats in the back today?” Callie glanced up at Marie, a big grin plastered across her face. “They’re like, the best ones!” Her enthusiasm could not be contained, it was obvious from the little wiggle she did with her hips. 

  
  


Marie looked away to avoid staring as she pretended to search around for the other kids who boarded the same bus. She saw few of them around, but it was clear she and Callie had arrived before most. 

  
  


“I think we will.” Marie replied with a small smile. “It looks like we’re either early, or they’re a bit late.”

  
  


“Awesome!!” Callie squid-flopped a couple of times before running through the now-open doors of their bus. The driver scolded her, but she didn’t seem to notice or care. Marie apologized under her breath and followed her energetic cousin to the back of the bus where they claimed the large, couch-like back seat.

  
  


“Fuck yeah.” Callie said as she kicked her legs up across the seat. She looked like an arrogant king sitting on his throne of gold. Marie rolled her eyes and grabbed them, moving them off gently so she could sit as well. 

  
  


“It’s our seat not  _ your _ seat, Callie.” Marie chided as she got comfortable, slinging her heavy backpack off and setting it on the floor. 

  
  


“Blah! Whatever!” Callie pouted, but she didn’t press the issue. “Hey, do you have a lot of homework tonight?”

  
  


Marie considered lying to keep Callie away while she napped, but she knew it wouldn’t work. Callie always wanted to do homework together, even if Marie protested.

  
  


“No, not that much.” Marie answered honestly. She was the type to pace herself and work on things ahead of time when possible, so she really didn’t have much to do. Just a few reading assignments and a report to work on was left for the week.

  
  


“Forreal? That’s great! We should watch a movie tonight!” Callie pumped her fist, clearly confident Marie would agree. 

  
  


Again, Marie wanted to decline, but she was much more torn this time. She was usually good at standing her ground, but when it came to Callie she just found herself unable to say no. 

  
  


“Well… I don’t know if my parents would want us to stay up late, but if you promise we can finish it before 10pm then I would love to.” Marie forced a smile as she agreed. 

  
  


Callie whooped and nodded. “Of course! Before 10pm, I promise!”


	3. The First Incident

Ultimately, her promise was broken. 

  
  


Callie, who preferred to procrastinate, had spent the majority of the day working on last minute assignments. Thankfully for Marie, this meant she managed to catch about an hour or so of a nap before Callie enlisted her help with the homework.

  
  


By the time they were done with any obligations, the clock read 9:30pm. It would be completely impossible to finish a movie before 10pm. 

  
  


“Sorry Callie… I think we’ll have to watch the movie another time.” Marie explained to her cousin in a mock-disappointed tone. She was secretly happy about the development since it meant that she could get to sleep earlier, but she didn’t want to show that to Callie.

  
  


Callie frowned and her ears lowered a bit, but before Marie even had time to feel sorry for her she hatched a new plan. “Oh! I know, I got one of those cool… “splitters” from my friend! We can just watch the movie on my phone!”

  
  


Marie was silent for a moment, thinking over that. “You mean a headphone splitter.” God damn it.

  
  


Callie grinned and nodded. “Yes! Exactly. We’ll just go to bed early and watch it with headphones in. Nobody will know!” She wasn’t careful about keeping her voice down since it was just the two of them in their room. The walls were relatively sound proof as well, she thanked the zapfish for that.

  
  


Marie seriously considered shutting this down before it was set in stone… but she couldn’t disappoint Callie, so she nodded. “Okay, I’ll get ready for bed now.” 

  
  


“Me too!” Callie was none the wiser as she rushed off to throw on some pajamas and pretend to brush her teeth. 

  
  


Marie let out a sigh as soon as she was gone and decided to grab a glass of water before bed. Callie was locked up in the bathroom, so she went to the kitchen and got it from the fridge instead. It had a strange taste, but she could tolerate it. At least it was filtered.

  
  


How the hell was she supposed to function at school tomorrow? There was a huge test coming up and while she knew the material, the lack of sleep would inevitably cloud her brain. Maybe she’d get lucky, maybe she’d pass out during the movie and Callie would take pity on her, letting it play while she snoozed. Maybe Callie would be careful not to wake her up, staying silent and motionless. Maybe after Callie realized Marie was too asleep to be woken up, she would lean down and--

  
  


“Marie, Are you seriously falling asleep again?”

  
  


The voice made Marie jump out of her thoughts, her heart rate spiking sharply. The glass of water fell out of her hands and shattered on the cool tiled floor. 

  
  


Callie jumped too and backed away. “Shit! You broke it! There’s glass everywhere-- don’t move.” 

  
  


Marie blinked as confusion overtook her senses. When had she fallen asleep, and on what? She had been standing up the whole time. She was drinking a glass of water! She watched as her cousin swept the shards into the dustpan, making sure not to miss a single shard. When she finished she disposed of it, and Marie still hadn’t moved.

  
  


“Hey, earth to Marie!” Callie stood next to her cousin and stared her down. “The glass is all picked up.”

  
  


Not knowing what else to say, she met Callie’s eyes and mumbled “Thank you Callie...”

  
  


Callie laughed and leaned on the counter. “Don’t worry about it… but you’re going to miss the movie if you keep falling asleep on the couch.”

  
  


“The couch?” Marie replied hazily, her eyelids suddenly felt heavy. She struggled to keep them open as Callie moved closer. The last thing she saw was Callie’s face mere inches away, then it all faded to black.


	4. Back to School

The next morning Marie woke up on the couch.

 

The first few minutes of semi-consciousness was spent enjoying the sensation of the soft plush of couch below her and the thin fleece blanket draped over her. Once her brain was awake enough, the next thing she wondered was how she got there.

 

A quick self-inspection revealed that she was still wearing the clothing she had on the previous day, meaning she had never returned to change after getting a glass of water. She felt uncomfortable and more than a little bit sweaty from sleeping in her jeans and hoodie.

 

One look around the room revealed she was definitely the first one up. The house was still dark and quiet, the sunlight was only just starting to filter in through the cracks in the blinds. A quick glance at her phone revealed it was about 6am, a little too early for school. 

 

She sat up slowly and lugged herself off of the couch. Her body felt fatigued and heavy, but she lacked the usual sleep-deprived headache at least. It was a sign that she had likely gotten a decent night’s rest even if it was on the couch. That brought her mood up somewhat and helped her shake off the desire to wallow.

 

Callie was nowhere in sight, so she made her way to their shared room and cracked the door open. As she expected, her cousin was fast asleep. Her own bed was still made, confirming she never returned to the room that night. Normally she wouldn’t need the reassurance, but with her sleep issues getting worse she couldn’t stop herself from making sure she wasn’t sleepwalking in the dead of night or something.

 

She entered the room and shut the door behind her. Her footsteps were silent as she cautiously walked up to Callie’s bed, getting a better look at her. Her body was curled up in an unusual position, her arms tangling awkwardly around a plushie while one of her hands laid on top of her face. It must have been uncomfortable, Marie thought. So she gently untangled her arms, laying them in a half decent position.

 

Admiring her work she suddenly noticed Callie had fallen asleep wearing her headphones. A small pang of guilt ran through her. It looked like she decided to watch the movie on her own and fell asleep in the middle of it.

 

Since Callie was a heavy sleeper, she decided she may as well help her out of those headphones as well. She worried the cord could easily tangle around her neck. Her fingers grazed the long, dark tentacles as she removed the headphones. She felt her heartbeat pick up again as Callie shifted in her sleep and mumbled something about wanting a snack. For one horrible, tense minute she was worried she had woken up her cousin, but the sleepy inkling only rolled over and smiled.

 

Somehow, that smile made Marie feel a little better.

 

… 

 

As they arrived at school Marie still felt exhausted. How was still tired after all of the sleep she got? She put it down to some kind of insane sleep debt. The idea of escaping for the weekend and crashing at a friend’s place was looking more and more enticing by the day, but Marie really didn’t know any inkling who would let her. While she knew many people, all of it was superficial. The last sleepover she’d had was around age ten and she didn’t feel comfortable getting close enough to others to invite herself over.

 

Briefly, she contemplated staying with her grandfather, but he was a very strange man. He preferred to be called “Cap’n” and usually rambled about war stories or tried to train her in martial arts. She was fond of him, apparently Callie was too, but she had no idea how to deal with his quirky behavior sometimes. Knowing him, he wouldn’t give her any time to rest anyway.

 

She sighed as she failed to think of any viable solutions. Normally she was an avid problem-solver, but that was when it wasn’t her own problems. On top of it all, she suspected the sleep debt was making her stupider than usual. Maybe a cup of coffee would do her some good.

 

As the teacher droned on in a monotone, Marie slipped into her own thoughts again. She was subconsciously absorbing the curriculum while the rest of her mind wandered in endless loops.

 

A few minutes went by before something caught her attention. There was a knock on the classroom door. Marie perked up and waited for the teacher to open it, but he didn’t seem to notice. The knock came once again and she looked around at her classmates. It seemed like none of them could hear it, was she going crazy already?

 

Just as she started to raise her hand to alert the teacher, the door burst open and Callie bounded in, jumping around frantically. She was acting like the floor was lava!

 

“Marie! Marie! Marie!!” She yelled frantically, sounding mildly hysterical. 

 

“C-Callie!?” Marie immediately leapt out of her seat, nearly tripping on her desk in the process. The classroom rules were suddenly forgotten and all of her attention was on Callie. Was she hurt? Was there an emergency? Her gut was in knots already and panic was sweeping through her.

 

“Sit down!” The teacher barked at Marie, commanding her back into her seat with the point of a finger.

 

Marie looked at the teacher and then back at Callie. “But-- she--” her mouth was as wide as Maws! Callie was clearly having some kind of emergency and the teacher was blatantly ignoring her.

 

“Marieee!” Callie whined as she grabbed each tentacle and pulled them down in a stressed manner. The action looked almost cartoonish in nature but it made Marie worry even more. 

 

“What is it Callie!?” Marie blurted. She felt conflicted, she wanted to listen to the teacher but her cousin was clearly in distress. Why wasn’t the teacher doing anything about it? 

 

“Hi.” Suddenly Callie’s entire attitude changed and she smiled bright, waving to Marie innocently as if she hadn’t burst into the class while yelling just a moment ago.

 

Marie fell back into her chair and her head hit the table with a thump. What the hell, Callie? “Are you trying to get expelled… or kill me… or both?” A long sigh escaped her.

 

There was no reply, and for a moment Marie wondered if she had hallucinated the whole thing.

 

“Hey, don’t look so sad. I came to visit you… don’t you want to see me?” Callie’s sweet voice was right next to her now. She must’ve walked over in the time Marie’s head was down, but somehow she didn’t hear a single footstep.

 

Marie lifted her head wearily and blinked at Callie. At this moment she realized the teacher had gone back to droning on about algebra. Her focus shifted to him and she blinked again. Did he just… not care that Callie was here now? He seemed to be keeping an eye on her, but aside from that he didn’t stop her from standing around. The other students didn’t acknowledge her either.

 

“...Sorry Marie…” Callie hung her head, a guilty look staining her features. “I interrupted class. I should have known that you’d get mad at me.” Her tone was similar to that of a child.

 

Marie suddenly realized just how long she’d failed to reply to her cousin. Casting one last glance at the teacher, she looked into Callie’s eyes and attempted to cheer her up. “Hey… don’t make that face. I was just… surprised. If you want to hang out we should do it at lunch, not in class. I don’t want you to get in trouble.” She was sure this wasn’t real now, but she still couldn’t ignore her cousin. Seeing her sad or guilty, even if it was fake, was too much for her.

 

Callie seemed to perk up some at that and gave a small smile. “Oh, you’re right. I just really wanted to see you. I’ll catch up with you at lunch, okay?” Her expression was oh so hopeful and it ate at Marie’s insides.

 

“Yeah Callie. We can sit together.” she nodded and sealed the deal, hoping it would put an end to this weird conversation. 

 

“Yay! I can’t wait! I’m so glad we go to the same school now. Okay, bye!” She suddenly took off running and bolted out the door, not even waiting for Marie’s goodbye. The teacher shouted at her on the way out and Marie was left staring dumbly at the door.

 

Not knowing what to make of it all, Marie simply gave up and put her head back down. What kind of school allowed students to leave their class and interrupt another? Had Callie asked to go to the restroom and decide to see Marie on the way? 

 

A light tapping noise brought her back to reality. She raised her head and stared up at the figure in front of her. Everything was blurry, so she rubbed her eyes and hoped it would help.

 

“The lunch bell rang five minutes ago. Are you planning on sleeping in here all day?” The teacher loomed over Marie like a statue. His eyes were cold and his posture clearly annoyed.

 

“What?” Was all Marie could say. She felt like wilting under the gaze, but was a little too confused to be fully affected.

 

“You fell asleep midway through class. Keep that up and I may just need to schedule a parent-teacher conference.” The teacher crossed his arms. “Or just fail you, I’m fine with that too.” He was straight to threats, that’s the joy of public education.

 

Marie’s eyes widened. So… she had been asleep? Did that mean she dreamed the whole thing? It certainly made sense, but part of her had hoped it wasn’t true. Half because it meant Callie wanting to see her so badly she defied all logic and broke into her class was just her imagination (of course it was) and half because it meant there was something seriously wrong with her.

 

“Well?” The teacher raised an eyebrow as Marie failed once again to reply.

 

“I--I’m very sorry.” She bowed her head low and apologetically, this time her face burned from the embarrassment. She collected her things as fast as possible and started to make her way out. “It won’t happen again, I promise.” 

 

Her teacher nodded and went back to his desk, seeming to accept the excuse and getting back to work. He had always been a hardass, but he was clearly giving Marie a pass for her one-time school nap. Maybe it was because she was typically a good student, or maybe he just didn’t want to bother with executing his treats.

 

Whatever the case, Marie knew not to question it. She rushed of the classroom and into the empty hall. Nearly every student had already made their way to the cafeteria by now, so Marie was the only one left. That was honestly the least of her problems though, what the hell was she supposed to do about sleeping in class? Hell, what was she supposed to do about the weird dreaming?

 

She walked up to the nearest locker and let her forehead fall onto it with a small ‘thump.’ She knew she needed to get something to eat, but she was too busy thinking about the Callie she’d seen in her dream. In retrospect, she was definitely way more dramatic than her actual cousin. Callie was an animated person, but she knew not to skip class. She was bad at school, but not because she didn’t try.

 

Maybe next time it happened she needed to just… pinch herself and wake up.

 

That thought hit her and her eyes shot open. Could it really be that simple? The sooner she could end the dream the less she would sleep. Sure, it would still be difficult to tell if she was sleeping or awake, but at least she could avoid sleeping for too long if it worked.

 

She vowed to at least give it a try. The worst thing that could happen is she doesn’t wake up. She was sure it would at least give her insight as to whether or not she was in a dreaming state, and that would be a start.

 

With some new confidence, she made her way to the cafeteria. Unfortunately due to being late, the pizza was already gone. Taco salad was a decent second choice, so she went with that and looked for her cousin.

 

Callie was sitting with a few other girls from her class. The seat to her left was empty, no doubt saved for Marie. She claimed it shortly after spotting it and smiled. 

 

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Marie spoke with a bit of amusement, the previous confidence making her feel a little more like herself. 

 

Callie spun around and grinned. “Marie! Seriously, what took ya so long? Lunch is half way over already!” 

 

“Ah… is it?” Marie slid her phone out of her pocket just enough to check the time. Half way was more of an estimate, there was still a good 20 minutes left. “It looks like we still have 21 minutes. So I wouldn’t say that.”

Callie sighed dramatically at being corrected. “I mean I gueeeesss. But it feels like it’s been an hour!”

 

“So you have a bad perception of time… get over it. Besides, we can sit together every day from now on. It’s not like you’ll have to worry about not seeing me.” Marie’s words came out a bit harsher than she wanted, but she felt the sentiment was true. 

 

“Yeah… well I missed you.” Callie scratched the side of her face in what was almost a nervous gesture. “And what if you want to sit with somebody else? I mean… you have cool friends, right?” 

 

Marie blinked. Did Callie really think she had anyone better to sit with? Sure, she had some friends in school but none of them were all that close. She opened her mouth to reply, but suddenly realized she might look a friendless loser in front of her crush if she implied she didn’t have any better friends. What kind of person doesn’t have any friends outside of family? 

 

Thinking as quickly as she could, she replied “I guess that’s true, but if anyone wants to sit with me I’ll bring them to your table.” She was decently satisfied with that. It showed interest while maintaining a cool air. 

 

Callie laughed, seeming relieved somehow. “Well I guess they’ll have to pass my test first! But okay, that sounds good. Bring anyone you want as long as they can handle me.” She was grinning like a madman.

 

“Don’t scare them off… you need to make friends in this school too you know.” Marie laughed along with her. 

 

“Ugh, you’re so right! I keep getting texts from my friends at my old school… but like… I can’t text in class! I need somebody willing to talk to me in person!” Callie groaned and leaned on one hand. Her pizza was gone by now, no doubt scarfed down in record time. Currently she was just playing with her applesauce. Clearly not really wanting it, but pretending she did for some unknown watchful eye.

 

Marie nodded. In her mind she was adding this onto her list of differences between Callie and her dream-self. The real Callie did care about school! She knew that texting in class was absolutely not allowed. 

 

“Do you ever just wish shellphones didn’t exist? Technology is poisoning our minds!” Callie suddenly blurted.

 

Marie suddenly felt less sure this was her Callie. Would the real Callie say something like that? The literal only reason they were able to be best friends was because the technology existed and enabled them to connect long distance. 

 

“Umm… I was kidding Marie. Are you okay?” Callie waved her hand in front of Marie’s face. 

 

Shit, she had zoned out again. But was it really her fault this time? That was definitely not a normal Callie statement. “Sorry, yes. I’m just a little hungry.” She started to eat as fast as she could. 

 

Callie stared at her for another moment, but dismissed it and went back to her applesauce.


End file.
